Prague mother, son killed in trailer fire

PRAGUE, Okla. – The state fire marshal continues to investigate what caused a mobile home fire in rural Lincoln County Monday.

That fire killed an elderly woman and her son.

Another son also lives on the property in another structure.

He was the one to discover his mother and brother’s bodies inside the trailer home around 11 a.m. Monday.

Authorities are investigating but said at this time, foul play does not appear to be involved.

“It appears maybe there was an electrical short behind one of the couches,” Lincoln County Sheriff Charlie Dougherty said.

The fire was already out by the time the Prague Fire Department arrived.

Sheriff Dougherty said Frances Heath, 89, lived at one end of the trailer home and her son, Terry Heath, 56, lived at the other.

He said it appears Heath was trying to get to her partially disabled son to rescue him from the fire.

“She has approximately burns on 90 percent of her body where she went through the fire to try and get to her son,” Sheriff Dougherty said.

Both bodies were found in the hallway outside Terry Heath’s room and authorities said it appears he also tried to help his mom in the end.

Neighbors said Terry Heath was in a wheelchair and that his mom didn’t get around very well either.

“She was crippled up and could hardly walk; her knees were bad,” said a next door neighbor who didn’t want to be identified. “It’s just a really sad situation and I’ve just been terribly upset about it all afternoon.”

“What a Mother’s Day story,” Sheriff Dougherty said. “I mean, even at 89 years old, you still go.”

The sheriff said, according to the surviving son, the family was all just together Sunday for Mother’s Day.

There was no fire visible outside the trailer home, so Heath’s other son had no idea anything had happened.

He did have a missed call from his brother around 9 a.m. Monday and his brother was found clutching his cell phone.